Press the neck till they vomit the truth, otherwise, be ready to suffer the consequences of your coward silence. If you belong to a middle class family, this episode will definitely, interest you.
Have you ever been a victim of corruption in any administration? What made you, to keep silence when you were being victimised, knowing that you will be the only person who will be shaken badly. Oh! I got it. You must have thought that no one will hear your voice. If you still think so, please change this assumption of yours. Now we live in an era where a small effort of questioning about an authority through the use of right to information act, can change everything. Here goes the story.
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Why was Vijay denied admission in a college which belonged to one of India's best leading university even after falling into the criteria of minimum cut off percentage, even after producing all required documents required for his admission ?
He was denied, just because his father did not have any proof of identity, of being a citizen of India to support his residing address, no matter Vijay had passed his high school and senior secondary examination through C.B.S.E board in Delhi. Can anyone explain me, how a student can pass C.B.S.E board exams without actually residing in India? Well, it was not mentioned anywhere in ''University Guidelines for Admission'' to show father's identity card of candidate to secure an admission.
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An office guy in the college refused to process the admission procedure of Vijay since he had no identity proof of his father. Of the three crucial days, in which admission protocol is done, first two days had already gone.
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At 3:30 PM or so I received Vijay's phonecall and came to know about whole issue. I was not only surprised but was equally annoyed at office administration. I rushed to my laboratory immediately to discuss this issue with my senior labmate who also teaches in one of the college of the same university. I thought if I could find a link to help Vijay. Luckily my senior labmate's friend was a lecturer in the same college, in fact the same department where Vijay was willing to seek admission. My senior labmate called him on phone and put the issues before him just to make sure if such requirement of identity proof of candidate's father was mandatory. We came to know that there was no such requirement for securing an admission.
I was also advised by my senior, to find out where the office of the dean was located. After searching on university website, I found that office of the student welfare where such admission related issues are heard, had recently shifted to a building exactly in front of the my department.
I went inside the dean office to put this issues before the dean. I went inside room number seven where I got a chance to interact dean directly, face to face. After hearing the issue, dean asked me ''Who the hell is that person, not accepting the application?''
After getting a positive signal of support from him, my anger got into a new shape, this time being more vulnerable to induce the change.
You will be surprised to know that the dean also coincidently was from the same college. And he was quite well known personality. He asked me to refer his name before that person in office and to enquire about the issue.
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With a strong hope and enthusiasm to solve that issue, we (Vijay, his father, brother and me) reached the college next day.
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9:30 AM. College gate. We arrived half an hour early. Admission process was to start at 10 AM.
I asked Vijay to help me to recognise the person concerned, in office. I requested Vijay to stay apart from me as soon as I approach to catch that person for a conversation leading to appropriate enquiry.
He came. Vijay gave me a signal and stayed back in waiting hall. I rushed close to that moderate aged man with long black beard who was wearing long white kurta.
I approached him saying, "I just want to take your five minutes to enquire something."
'' Go and wait in hall, you will be called up when your turn comes" added the man arrogantly considering me a student thinking I had approached him for admission process.
I was stopped at gate by security. Office guy went inside. After he got settled at his working seat, I managed to go immediately inside the room .
It was second last seat in hall where he was sitting with several files containing admission forms of students.
I tricked him saying showing Vijay's application , ''I have been sent by the dean of the university to enquire about this case. Dean wants to know, why this student cannot get admission in your college?''. He hasd already recognised Vijay's application form by then.
On hearing the name of dean he said that dean was from his college too. Surprisingly, I could see, his arrogant facial expressions by then, were replaced by a big smile on his face. He accepted to continue the admission process. Now voter identity card of father was not required. Magic of the dean's name was working.
I waved my hand to call vijay after I reached the door of the waiting hall where Vijay was waiting for a response. We started completing the application forms.
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"Oh my gosh! where is my original OMR form? I am unable to find it in my file. I had kept it here. Oh no! May be I have misplaced or lost it '' Vijay exclaimed with sorrow.
''Now, no one can make you secure, an admission in this college.'' said his father angrily.
He had misplaced OMR form somewhere.
He was having a photocopy of the form. I took that photocopy and told same office fellow that Vijay had misplaced the original and requested him to take the photocopy. He denied. Now he was kind of right as he was bound by university rules for not accepting the form in that case.
I asked him to tell me the protocol to solve the issues if it could be anyhow. He suggested me to get the photocopied form to get verified again at college verification counter.
We had only one hour left in admission process.
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We went to get it verified at college counter. The person at counter said that the 'photocopy of the form' can not be verified here. ''It will be better if you go to administrative officer who can look into matter '' said the person sitting at counter.
We ran to locate the administrative officer. We found his office. But we were surprised to see a long queue waiting for officer to arrive his office from an emergency meeting with college principal. I was denied entry into office by guard at gate. Luckily the officer arrived and went inside the office. I requested guard to let me talk to officer but I was denied again.
"Let him settle for few minutes and then he will eat samosa and have tea. After that you can talk to him'' told the guard.
''Samosa is not important. He can have it later. Let me go in or else call him outside'', I got annoyed.
Guard went inside to complain about this behaviour of mine. As soon as he went inside, I followed him without his permission.
Before he could actually complain about me I was able to manage to talk to officer directly.I told him about the whole issue. But he also denied, by saying he had no ''stored information'' to verify the form. We all became hopeless and decided to go back home.
''May be I lost the form in the same admission hall while I was having admission troubles yesterday?'' Vijay doubted.
Just to clarify, we went to the same hall to enquire if Vijay had lost his form in the hall. Yes, he had lost it there in the hall. Whole scenario turned in our favour. He had lost it under table-shelf during troublesome conversation with that office guy. We were able to submit the form.
Vijay got admission.
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''Sometimes the game of chances and coincidences are set up in such a right time-frame that the whole story of our problems can take several turns. What we need to realize is that if our things get worse by our coward silence, we should try our best with complete zeal and zest to circumvent such issues. ''
